The Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Alliance (ARMA) is the umbrella body for the arthritis and musculoskeletal community in the UK, and our mission is to transform the quality of life of people with musculoskeletal conditions. We have 40 member organisations ranging from specialised support groups for rare diseases to major research charities and national professional bodies.

New MSK Knowledge Hub

The aim is to provide a searchable resource library for those working to support people with musculoskeletal conditions. The Hub will allow the MSK community to debate innovative ideas and good practice, share resources, network and celebrate success. This knowledge base is aimed at professionals, not patients, and is free for anyone to search.

If you have musculoskeletal-related articles or documents you’d like to share – and they meet our criteria – please register with the Hub and then use the ‘Submit a Resource’ button to let us know.

The Hub incorporates an interactive MSK Forum enabling people to discuss and share views. Once registered you can also access the forum. Let us know if you want us to set up new discussion topics.

Watch recordings of past webinars from the MSK series.

Sport, Exercise, Training and Delivery in the NHS

Self-care workforce skills

Joint Pain Advisor Webinar

Getting It Right First Time Masterclass

Clinical Networks: Transforming MSK Care

Physiotherapy in Primary Care

The Musculoskeletal Health Questionnaire

New models of MSK Masterclass

Work & Health MSK Webinar

The MSK Webinar Series:

Focus on Musculoskeletal Health: developing and implementing a JSNA chapter – Watch the video of this webinar

As a group musculoskeletal conditions cause 31.3% of all years lived with disability, and their incidence is rising as the population ages. Understanding this at a local level is therefore crucial in public health, prevention and health and care provision. With an ageing population this becomes increasingly important for a healthy workforce and a strong economy.

ARMA welcomes Government roadmap for work and health, but emphasises need for rapid progress

The Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Alliance welcomed the announcement today of Improving Lives: the future of work, health and disability, but emphasises the need for fast progress for people with musculoskeletal conditions. Improving Lives sets out plans to transform employment prospects for disabled people and those with long term health conditions over the next 10 years.

Conditions of the bones, joints muscles – musculoskeletal conditions – are the leading cause of people’s inability to work and disability in the UK. Less than two-thirds of working age people with a musculoskeletal condition are in work.

Sue Brown, chief executive of ARMA said, “I very much welcome the Government’s firm recognition of the need to address musculoskeletal conditions and work. We look forward to working closely with Government to ensure the details are right, but it’s vital that there is rapid progress if we are to curb the growing impact of musculoskeletal conditions on people’s working lives.

“The specific proposals in the document for a Challenge Fund need to ensure that musculoskeletal conditions are a high priority in their activity.”

Public Health England’s Active 10

Over 6.3 million adults aged 40 to 60 do not achieve 10 minutes of continuous brisk walking over the course of a month and are missing out on important health benefits. The new One You physical activity campaign is encouraging adults to build 10 minutes continuous brisk walking into their day as a simple way to improve their health, which could save the NHS over £0.9 billion per year.

ARMA’s Policy Positions

Like previous documents, these are the result of input from across our membership and our community, and contain recommendations for policy makers.

Please share widely.

Policy Position Paper on Prevention
of Musculoskeletal Conditions

ARMA highlights a need for transformation so that Care and Public Health systems go beyond merely tackling musculoskeletal conditions when they arise, to promoting good, lifelong musculoskeletal health.

Musculoskeletal toolkit launched to help employers support people with musculoskeletal conditions

ARMA worked with Public Health England and Business in the Community to develop a new toolkit for employers in the workplace, which launched at the Health and Wellbeing at Work Conference in the NEC today (7 March 2017). Musculoskeletal conditions are an important consideration for businesses as they are a leading cause of pain and disability in the UK, affecting many employees.

The toolkit draws together information for employers to support staff in the prevention, early identification, management and adaptation for people affected by musculoskeletal conditions. The musculoskeletal toolkit is a simple step-by-step guide dealing with back, neck, muscle and joint pain at work. It will help employers access the best free resources that are available for their organisation and employees.

The Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Alliance, an alliance of prominent health charities, professional and research bodies, today [Thursday 15th September 2016] welcomed a ground-breaking World Health Organisation action plan to tackle musculoskeletal conditions in Europe.
[Read more]

The Action Plan was also welcomed internationally by the Global Alliance for Musculoskeletal Health, calling on the European Region to implement the Action Plan and all countries of the world to adopt a similar approach to tackling musculoskeletal conditions.

ARMA welcomes the recognition in the Improving Lives: The Work, Health and Disability Paper of the need to address musculoskeletal conditions and work.

Musculoskeletal conditions are among the commonest causes of people’s inability to work and, as evidenced in the Global Burden of Disease study (2015), are the single biggest cause of pain and disability in the UK. Less than two-thirds of working age people with musculoskeletal conditions are in work. MSK conditions are the leading cause of sickness absence, resulting in 30.6 million working days lost each year and one in five visits to the GP. They are associated with anxiety and depression. The impact of MSK problems on work is predicted to increase and with people working into older ages, the impact on work will also increase.

We look forward to working with the Joint Work and Health Unit and ARMA members to provide more detailed support from the musculoskeletal community to realise the opportunities that the Green Paper proposes.